Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1887-12-30

on tho curbstone for him. and pass on. He
wonders who that well dressed man was that
helped him. You did akindhess to the 10y,
but YOU did gredt Joy to y6lr own soul.
You will nC5 get over it all the week.
On the street tomorrow morning you will
see a sick man passing along "Ah,' you say,
"What can do to make this man happyi lie
certainly does not want money; he is not poor;
but he is sick" Give him one of those tw nty
five hundred cheerful looks that you have gar
nered up for the whole year. Look Joy and
hopefulness into his soul. 1t WI thrill him
through, and there will be a reaction upon
your own soul Going n little farther on you
will come to the store of friend who is en-
barrassed in business matters. You will go in
and say: What a fine store you have |
think business will brighten up, and you will
have moro custom after a while. | think
there is coming a great prosperity to all the
country. Good morning" You pass out. You
have he,ped that young man, and you have
helped yourself And that night you go
home; you sit by the fire, you talk little,
you sing little, you laugh little; you say:
"Ireally don't know what is the matter with
me- / never felt so splendid in my life
/ will tell what is the matter with you.
You spent only two cents out of the $l0 you
have contribute ed one out of twenty five hun
dred cheerful looks; you have given ten, ff-
teen or twenty of the five thousand pleasant
words you are going to speak during the
year; You have with your own hands helped
the boy with the wheelbarrow, and you feel
in body; mind and soul the thrill of that
recreation. Which do you think was the
happler-Col. Gardiner, who sat with his
elbow on a table spread with all extravagant
viands, looking Off at q dog on the
rug, saying; "How l would like to
change places with him; | be the dog
and he be Colonel Gardiner or those two
Moraviau missionaries who wanted to go
into the lazaretto for the sake of attend
ing the sick, and they were told eff you go
in there, you will never come out. We never
allow any one to come out, for he would
bring the contagion." Then they made their
wills and went in, first to help the sick and
then to die. Which was the happier, Colonel
Gardiner or the Moravian missionaries dying
for others Was it all sacrifice when the
missionaries wanted to bring the Gospel to
the negroes at the Barbados, and, being
denied the privileges, sold themselves, into
slavery, standing side by sid9 and lying
side by side down in the very ditch of
suffering in order that they might bring
those men up to life and God and heaven!
Oh. there is thrill in the joy of doing good.
1t is the most magnificent recreation to
which a man ever puts his hand or his head
Or his heart.
But, before closing, l want to impress upon
you that mere secular entertainments are not
fit foundation for your soul to build on.
| was reading OF woman who had gone
all the rounds of sinful amusement, and she
came to die. She said: II will die tonight
at o'c'o2k." "Oh," they said, 81 guess
not, you don't scent to be sick" 81 shall die
at 6 o'clock, and my soul will be lost.
know it will be lost. l have sinned away
my day of grace" The noon came They
desired to seek religious counsel.
"Oh,n she said, 'it is of no use. My day is
gone have been all the rounds of worldly
pleasure, and it is too late l shall die to
it came to o'clock. and to o'clock, and she
CT ed out at O'Clock: Destroyed spirits, ye
shall not have me yet; it is not q, it is not
81" The moments went by, and the shadows
began to gather, and the clock struck 6; and
while it was striking her soul went. What
hour God will call for us do not know
whether o'clock ton ght, OF 3 o'clock thi;
afternoon, or at l o'clock, or at this mo
ment. Sitting where you are, falling for
ward, OF standing where you are, dropping
down, where would you go to'
But our hour for adjourning has already
come, and the last hour of our life will sooI
be here and from that hour we will review
this days proceedings. 1t will be 4 solemn
hour. If from our death pillow we have tC
look back and see a life spent in sinful amuse
ment, there will be dart that will strike
through our soul sharper than the dagger
with which Vmginius slew his child. Tht
memory of the past will make us quake like
Macbeth. The iniquities and rioting through
which we have passed will come upon us
weird and skeleton as Meg Merrilles. Death
the old Shylock, will demand and take the re
naming pound of flesh and the remaining
drop of blood, and upon our last opportunity
for repentance, and cur last Oh ince fo
heaven the curtain Will forever drop.